More than 2.2 million (!!!) Canadians entered the United States in March 2025. Yet, polls show that many Canadians are “afraid” to enter due to border issues… and this is just not justified at all, objectively! At least, certainly not for those who have a Canadian passport and who are making a normal leisure/tourism trip or a transit (which is the vast majority of travelers).
To be very clear: of course, you can boycott the United States. Long live freedom! You should always go (or *not* go) wherever you want. And Trump is doing a lot of stupid things, of course!
However, we must still be clear that being afraid to enter the United States… that’s really not a good reason not to go. As for the other reasons… that’s up to each responsible adult and has nothing to do with travel. But the fear of the border deserves to be debunked.
Here are our 4 experiences entering the United States in recent weeks (including yesterday and last week), why they’re not even relevant, and many other explanations on this controversial topic.
How was it to enter the United States as Canadians this week?
This won’t be a popular article, but as always, Flytrippers will say things as they are and share the real objective facts. And also our explanations of the situation; we do have a very extensive expertise on borders and travel!!!
There is really a lot to say on this subject:
- Experienced travelers know that the risks are never as high
- As the impression given in the media (very basic thing)
- No U.S. rules have changed (they’re the same as under Biden and Obama)
- The rules can be more strictly enforced rules
- But these existing rules are not outrageous at all
- Many other countries have the same rules
- Problematic situations at the border are extremely rare
- Again: 2.2M Canadians entered the U.S. in March 2025
- Problematic situations were already happening before
- I was once questioned for 1 hour… when Obama was president
- Problematic situations almost never happen regular tourists
- Not regular leisure/tourism trips or transits
But I’ll start by telling you exactly how it was when we entered the United States ourselves, because many people like it when we (both of us Flytrippers co-founders) share our concrete experiences.
Here are our 2 most recent entries, yesterday and last week:
- Andrew: May 5th in Montreal (YUL)
- For a conference on credit cards
- It was booked last year; I go every year
- Kevin: May 2nd in Los Angeles (LAX)
- To visit his girlfriend’s family
- She is American; he is a real traitor to our nation!!!
Both were therefore entries by air; an entry at U.S. customs pre-clearance in a Canadian airport and an entry at normal U.S. customs at an American airport.
Here’s how it went:
- Exactly like the dozens of other times we’ve entered the United States over the years
- Regardless of the president
No difference.
Obviously. Nothing surprising.
That’s the case for almost all leisure/tourism trips (I repeat: 2.2 million Canadians entered the U.S. just in the month of March).
How was it to enter the United States in March?
I also entered the United States 2 other times for connections at the beginning and end of my trip to Asia in March, when the tariff craze was at its peak.
If you travel a bit, you know that sterile transits don’t exist in the United States; you have to completely enter the country, just as if it were your final destination.
(When you want to find luxurious lie-flat business class pod seats worth $4000 for just 75,000 Aeroplan points for a 13-hour flight, it really gives you a lot more choices by not excluding the United States, which has 10X more flights and 10X more seats!)
These 2 entries were also at a Canadian airport and an American airport.
How did those go? Exactly as usual, too.
Ask anyone you know that has been to the U.S. recently and it’s a lot more likely to be the same response than anything else. It’s like when people are scared of going to Colombia (or any other safe country): of course they’ve never been there themselves! If they had, they wouldn’t be scared…
Why are our personal experiences (and stories from the fear campaign) not relevant?
If you’re a savvy traveler, you’re thinking:
“But your personal experiences are really anecdotal!”
OF COURSE!!!
Just like the microscopic and completely insignificant sample of the few unfortunate border stories that the media amplifies because it allows them to do their favorite thing in the world, which is to talk about Trump.
All of this is extremely anecdotal.
(The stories that have been publicized are unfortunate situations… but they happened even before Trump, like my own experience in an interrogation room at the U.S. customs at the land border under Obama! And above all… these are situations that all won’t happen to you if you’re making a normal tourist trip, and I’ll explain below!!!)
What is not anecdotal, and what is factual and objective, is that 2.2 million Canadians entered the United States in March 2025, according to Statistics Canada.
If there were frequent problems at all, we would know about it, clearly. Don’t worry; the media would talk about it each time, as they do now. It would be pretty obvious if there was even a slightly present risk.
That’s not the case.
It is therefore not relevant to rely on anything other than the facts, whether it’s our experiences or the very isolated cases that are used in the media for a fear campaign that allows them to ride the very popular current anti-Trump wave.
(A wave that greatly benefits the media due to the nature of their industry, which runs on drama, crises, and yes… fear! I’m not saying it’s their fault, but that’s just factually how it is! Happy and positive stories aren’t often in the news…)
The sample of our own experiences at least has the advantage of being representative of the experience of almost all Canadian travelers, unlike the very isolated cases that are absolutely not representative and that won’t happen to you for a normal leisure/tourism trip!
What is the real risk level of entering the United States?
All seasoned travelers know that in the world of travel, the real risk is always lower than the impression you get from the media. Or at least, all seasoned travelers *should* know that!
But sadly, one of the most significant findings we can make after 8 years of helping travelers full-time with Flytrippers is that, objectively, most people are absolutely terrible at contextualizing risk levels.
It’s not the end of the world at all… but it’s still true. To get better (which everyone should obviously want), you need to start by knowing *what* to improve.
More than 70,000 Canadians PER DAY entered the United States in March. Imagine all the other nationalities too. Think rationally about the level of risk that the few isolated cases that were reported represent (and I repeat that even those don’t apply to normal leisure/tourism trips anyway).
Fear is the normal response to the unknown; that’s fine. Getting more information (like the 2.2M stat) is how to get over the fear.
In short, the risk level hasn’t really materially changed since Trump has been there. It’s still so low.
It’s really obvious that it’s statistically almost certainly not going to be problematic to enter the United States if you have a Canadian passport and you’re making a normal leisure/tourism trip. You can feel reassured and definitely not be afraid.
Why is entering the United States for tourism/leisure travel not problematic?
Here are the basis of U.S. entry rules:
- No U.S. entry rules have changed
- Enforcement of rules may be stricter
- None of these rules are problematic for you anyway
- If you have a Canadian passport
- If you’re traveling for tourism/leisure
Here’s the most important thing about the rules:
- These rules could already be enforced before Trump
- If you encountered a zealous customs officer (it happens)
- These rules exist in many other countries, too
- It’s really nothing outrageous
The reality is that, like many countries, the United States is very afraid of 2 things (and has ALWAYS been very afraid of these 2 things):
- That a traveler will stay in the United States and never leave
- That a traveler will work while in the United States
If you’re doing a normal tourism/leisure trip, it won’t be a problem at all.
Really not.
Here’s what you can do to very easily avoid any problems regarding this:
- Book your return flight and all your accommodations before entering the United States
- Don’t tell them anything that might make them think you’re going to work while in the U.S. or that you won’t leave the U.S.
Simple. These are things that the vast majority of tourism/leisure travelers already do anyway, which is why they have no problems at the border.
Because it shows that you’re not a risk for the 2 things the country doesn’t like.
And I can assure you it’s not since Trump has been there that they’ve been afraid of these 2 things; I was questioned at length myself under Obama because of the work angle.
And I can assure you they’re not the only country that doesn’t like these 2 things; I’ve had many similar situations in the 75+ countries I’ve visited as a digital semi-nomad. It’s well-known amongst our community: always say you are there for tourism, never mention anything about working remotely. That’s a basic rule that you needed to follow before Trump and that you’ll need to follow after Trump (and in all other countries).
That said, it doesn’t even mean it will be problematic if you don’t book anything in advance: I haven’t yet purchased my return flight, and they didn’t care yesterday (they didn’t ask for proof of accommodation either). I’m a NEXUS member, so that certainly helps. And if you’re worried about the border, you should definitely join the program too; it’s purely awesome, even without going to the U.S.!
Next, what seems to cause even more fear is the fear of being detained by customs officers.
In the very unfortunate case of the German female travelers that went most viral (they were denied entry because they mentioned working remotely from the U.S.), it’s worth saying that it was THEM who chose not to leave right away when their entry was denied. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been detained!
And anyway, as Canadians, being detained is just not even an issue:
- By air, you clear customs in a Canadian airport (pre-clearance)
- By land, you clear customs at the Canadian border
In both cases, if your entry is denied, you will not be detained. You’re in Canada so you can just go back home. If you live in Saskatoon, Québec City, or another city with a small airport that doesn’t have U.S. pre-clearance, simply book a flight that has a connection in a major Canadian airport if that reassures you.
Finally, there’s the issue of cell phone searches. It’s rare enough that it’s really not worth stressing about, and the U.S. government has even somewhat confirmed that having anti-Trump messages on your cell phone shouldn’t be enough to deny you entry.
If it really stresses you out, you can delete the apps just to get through customs, but it really shouldn’t be a problem.
Now if you don’t have a Canadian passport or are entering for a reason other than tourism or transiting, there’s just not enough data about that for me to comment. But again, I’d still not really be worried honestly.
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Summary
More than 2.2 million Canadians entered the United States in March 2025. If there were really frequent problems, you would have heard about more than a few isolated cases that have nothing to do with normal leisure/tourism trips. Each case is unfortunate, but they are objectively situations that have always occurred… that are just of interest to the media now because it allows them to talk about Trump.
What would you like to know about what it’s like to enter the U.S. as a Canadian? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: U.S. customs (photo credit: Andrew D’Amours/Flytrippers)
Despite the high value of most of your article, I don’t like it when you suddently said that ” Trump is doing a lot of stupid things, of course! ”. We have enough of leftist artist and liberal media. I mean, why the ”need” to put this sentence ? I will always remember that you guys were the very first to told us that the US border was finaly open after the plandemic, I was so happy this very day. Now, since you obviously speak (and write) better than me in english, I would invite you to listen to this investigative journalist about our brand new PM. Enjoy ! https://www.facebook.com/reel/3639504766348964
Hard to be a centrist. Get hit by the left and the right non stop. Canadians regardless if you’re left or right should not be wanting to travel to the US right now. Unless you’ve found some super discount or need to travel for work or something preplanned there are better places to travel to right now. Quebec is a mostly left leaning province so obviously 82% of respondents were scared compared to if they’d tried that survey let’s say in Alberta which is much more right leaning. Trump tariffs in a lot of ways are a good thing and in other ways a bad thing. I wouldn’t say it’s stupid just a different approach. As a centrist myself the part that annoys me the most is his ongoing comments about Canada being the 51st state. Left leaning CBC has been putting a lot of fearmongering just as they did during COVID times so not surprised. Anyway, not sure what side you’re leaning on but I suspect you’re probably a centrist and I appreciate you taking on the topic.
To the point regarding CBC. Samething for all msm. Journalism is dead. We citizen have to find independant journalist and private media to get all point of view. ” The most trusted name of news ” changed a lot in 10 years or so. Fox News did say and admit that most of their opinion host are from the right, with the exeption of the news at 6PM which is still fair and balanced. Unless someone educate himself with right wigners, they will never know that they always got half of the story with msm. P.S.: the 51st state thing is done. If you like politics, I kindly invite you to check this regarding our new PM : https://www.facebook.com/reel/3639504766348964
Thanks for the information about US travel. I think as Canadians we felt a gut punch on how the current States administration is
treating it’s allies. I know many who avoid buying the States products.
Everything is more expensive. Our dollar isn’t great for cross border trips. Research now is even more important for travel. Citizens in the States are also financially stressed. I see it in online comment frustrations to vacation spots like Vegas and Disney. Nickle and dimming everywhere.
The world has always been a crazy place. At present, more so. I just hope all regular folk will get things in order. Rather then the super wealthy elites controlling everything. Having us fighting amongst ourselves. We need to find more caring and respect.
Travelling within Canada is great. I have done it from coast to coast. everyone should see their country.
I’m retired and I’m looking forward to even more trips. I know our present moto is Elbows Up. but would like to be able to travel to the States in these 4 years. Time is even if more precious as you get older.
I do hope that things will get better and iron itself out.
Thanks again for your insights and look forward to more.
Frank in Vancouver.
Hi Frank,
Indeed, and our goal with this post is completely unrelated to other reasons not to go to the US, as mentioned. A survey showed way too many Canadians are explicitly “scared” of the border, and that’s just objectively not a good reason not to go.
Happy travels wherever you decide to go 🙂
As a person belonging to the LGBTQ+ community, your post showed little understating of what minority are subject to when crossing the us border since the beginning of the second trump mandate. My boyfriend works for a Canadian university and they sent an email to all of their staff concerning the issues of travelling to the us for people working for those institutions. I could also refer you to a newyork time article on how journalist are now travelling with burner phone.
Hi,
That’s kind of the point, the LGBTQ+ community is not subject to anything different. I have close family members who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to tell them they’ll be fine crossing the border, because that’s just how it is honestly.
Just because a university sends an email doesn’t mean it’s justified, just like it’s not justified automatically just because random people are scared…
isee that Flytrippers is a very bias outfit or whatever you are. Saying that “ Trump is doing alot of stupid things,of course “ fits you exactly in the category with people with TDS. As a travel advisor its not your place to advertise YOUR political views but people with TDS cant grasp that concept.
As far as traveling to US everything is perfectly fine just as it always was and the crazy hysteria that people like you like to fuel is just that. HYSTERIA. Democrats are very emotional people. Cant think for themselves so they just react to any news with emotions. No thinking involved.
Hi Alexandra,
Everything is perfectly fine indeed, that’s exactly what we said here.
Now as for our views, frankly we’re fine with saying that Trump is doing stupid things. Perk of having our own website is saying what we want, and telling things like they are should give you confidence in our expertise as we don’t do bullshitting and whatever else 🙂
Vous le dites, votre expertise relève du voyage et vous faites du bon boulot, vraiment. Ne tombez pas dans le piège de la politique. En outre, dans vos articles, sauf erreur, je ne me souviens pas avoir vu un commentaire dans les années antérieures à l’égard des problèmes mentaux MAJEURS de Joe China Biden, que les médias ont tout fait pour camoufler depuis deux ans, et qui là, subitement, font amende honorables en affirmant que c’est la faute de la Maison Blanche de ne pas avoir été honnête, lol. Gérer son propre site web et le discours qui va avec est un privilège, le même qu’on les enseignants et les artistes. Lancer une flèche gratuite envers un PM ou un Président ne peu que vous déservir. C’est un peu le message qu’Alexandra a tenter de vous dire, mais de façon plus cavalière.
We are not afraid, we are offended. The constant jabs about the 51st state and calling our Prime Minster “Governor” were too much. We are travelling elsewhere in the world and making a conscience effort to avoid made in the USA products. It’s a way for us regular folk to fight back. Trust me, there is no fear and it is really arrogant to suggest that.
Hi,
As mentioned in the article, we’re not suggesting anything: we’re talking about surveys that show that Canadians are scared. A survey in Québec showed that 82% of respondents were scared. It’s not our survey. That’s what we’re talking about!
But I’m glad the idea of people being scared automatically is hard to believe, because that’s our entire point. It makes no sense to be scared. Completely unrelated to other reasons to not go.